Former school teacher Chris Bendann found guilty on all charges of child sex abuse

By Christian Olaniran, Adam Thompson

Click here for updates on this story

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Former Gilman School teacher Chris Bendann was found guilty Wednesday on all charges in his child sex abuse trial.

The jury deliberated for more than 90 minutes on the charges of child pornography, child exploitation and cyberstalking before reaching a verdict.

Bendann, who chose not to testify in his defense, was convicted of inappropriate behavior with a 15-year-old Gilman student.

Closing arguments

The jury heard arguments on Wednesday and began deliberations around 3 p.m.

Bendann said early in the trial that he would testify in his own defense, but he decided not to do so until after the trial resumed Wednesday morning.

During the plea, the prosecution tried to emphasize that Bendann was guilty, while the defense argued that Bendann had a consensual relationship with his former student.

Prosecutors alleged that Bendann used his position as a teacher at the Gilman School to build close relationships with his students, including one victim, calling him a “wolf in sheep’s clothing” and saying that “this is a side of Mr. Bendann that the Gilman community did not see.”

Bendenn is accused of having sexual contact with a 14 or 15-year-old teenager and making explicit videos of him.

Prosecutors said Bendann sent numerous messages to the victim, threatening to release the sensitive material if he did not respond.

Bendann’s attorney admitted that his client cyberstalked the victim because he “lost his mind when (the victim) dropped out of high school and moved on with his life.”

However, the defense argued that Bendann was not guilty of child pornography and child sexual exploitation and attempted to poke holes in the prosecution’s arguments. They argued that the relationship between Bendann and the victim was consensual and that the videos shown to jurors were made after the victim turned 18.

The defense attorney said the prosecution was expecting a conviction because of the sensitive nature of the case.

Please note: This content has a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.